Professional clowns blame 'It' for a drop in business

Pennywise in "It" has not made life easy for
professional clowns.Warner
Bros.

Not everyone is happy with the sensation the movie "It" has
become.

The latest adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel broke
records at the box office last weekend when it opened with an
incredible $123.4 million domestically, which
gave Hollywood a hit movie after three weeks of pitiful
performers. But one line of business that isn't finding the same
success is clowns.

The main villain in "It" is an evil clown named Pennywise who
terrorizes the fictional town of Derry, Maine. His particular
interest is snatching up children. Needless to say, moms and dads
suddenly aren't setting up clowns to come entertain their kids'
birthday parties.

In fact, John Nelson, a professional clown, says he's gotten
several cancellations in the last few weeks due to the release of
"It" and its marketing of the scary Pennywise.

But now he's doing something about it.

Nelson, who runs Clowns in Town with a partner, has put together
a rally outside New York City's Union Square Regal Cinema in New
York City to show that clowns aren't all that bad.

"Our hope is to raise enough awareness so when people think of
clowns they won't think of scary murderers but people who
dedicate their lives to bringing joy," Nelson told the NBC News 4, the New
York City affiliate of the network.

REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro

"Last week, my partner and I had six cancellations of birthday
parties," Nelson said. "I have heard of reports from other
clowns, in New York and other cities, that they have been
canceled as well."

Because many clowns do not ask for deposits in advance and are
paid on site, according to Nelson, the popularity of "It" has
caused a significant loss.

The movie's release is just the latest hurdle for
clowns. Though clowns have been the cornerstone of
children's entertainment for over 200 years, in recent
generations children have grown more frightened of clowns.
According to a 2015 story in The Guardian on the
likability of clowns, a University of Sheffield study of 250
children for a report on hospital design suggested children find
clown motifs “frightening and unknowable.” And adults are scared,
too. There's even a name for it: coulrophobia.